The Snowball

Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

By: Alice Schroeder

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 36 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is THE book recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but now he has allowed one writer, Alice Schroeder, unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is the personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as "The Oracle of Omaha."

Although the media track him constantly, Buffett himself has never told his full life story. His reality is private, especially by celebrity standards. Indeed, while the homespun persona that the public sees is true as far as it goes, it goes only so far. Warren Buffett is an array of paradoxes. He set out to prove that nice guys can finish first. Over the years, he treated his investors as partners, acted as their steward, and championed honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, essayist, and speaker. At the same time, he became the world's richest man, all from the modest Omaha headquarters of his company Berkshire Hathaway. None of this fits the term "simple."

Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writer's questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associates - opening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as The Snowball makes immensely clear.

Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffett's legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth; it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched people's lives. This book tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.

©2008 Alice Schroeder (P)2008 Books on Tape

Absolutely inspiring, amazing book!

This was a book you can't put down, The author did an absolutely amazing job by captivating you keeping you intrested in learning everything about Warren Buffett and his journey. He's a normal person like the guy next door with extraordinary focus. Very inspiring.

entertaining and educational

I thought the book was fantastic....both entertaining and educational.....listened to it every chance I had.....

Deep dive into the world of Warren Buffett

Relentless in business. Idiosyncratic personally. A compelling, honest view on the life of a great.

Learning how to create a snowball

I love this book it was a long read but a worthwhile read. The most important moment was towards the beginning of warren buffets life were it lays out in complete detail the thought process in the habits that he developed in order to create and amass a massive wealth

super long but worth it

there is so much content in this story, felt like it was multiple books tied as one. will definitely need to re-read a couple of times but the overall lessons are solid and just learning about this man is... 😁

Great insight on the life or Warren Buffet

loved it. it is a big book and a long listen. At the end of the book you are sure to become a wiser person. The fact that it covers Warren's life automatically implies you get a history lesson

Must read about a living legend

I’ve heard the legends. But this book went so far into details, that I feel I’ve become part of his family. I felt the pain when his wife died. Incredible book. Highly recommend. Very useful if you don’t known investing
and business, many helpful tips

it is book about life honestly and integrity

i loved it great book. it dose not teach you business tricks. it teaches you business principles

The Snowball requires steadfast discipline

This book is exemplary in its content and biography and give a full account of Warren Buffet’s life thus far. He is and always has been a collector. His life’s passion was to collect money and that he did. This is long and detailed book and requires much time and discipline to read. Just like a snowflake collecting on the ground to eventually be shaped into a round ball that could amass into a huge boulder requires much effort, discipline and time. This a great book on those life lessons. Regardless of his weaknesses as a human being Mr. Buffett has lived a wonderful life to wantonly give all back and more from which it came!!

Excellent book

Well written. If you want to know what warren is, or what kind of character we want to look for in a CEO / investment advisor , you' ll find it in this book.